Presenting safe & clean Indian spices

Grains, pulses, vegetables, herbs and spices form the mainstay for food for the human population.  Almost all of these provide nutrients, proteins, vitamins and other essential elements for  the health of the human beings.  They also contribute the base for many non-food and industrial products also.  The production of these essential crops are scattered all round the world and has varying generic qualities.  The present day focus  is mainly centered on quality and safety of these products.  Though the concern has its origin from the most developed countries, this slowly inches towards the developing and even less developed countries.  The primary botheration on food starts with the availability of water that keeps the life going on earth.  Water that is potable is a rare commodity these days.  Similar is the case of food.  There is no assurance on the quality of the food that is available for human consumption especially in non developed countries. Food and food materials are available but there is a scarcity of safe and quality food.  The imposition of quality regulations and strictures in the developed countries is to ensure the health and security of their population  which has its repercussions in developing countries whose exports exports of many farm products have become much costlier. 

Coming to spices, the cultivation and production happens in many of the developing countries or in the Third World in general.  It is an interesting aspect to note that countries like India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Zanizibar, Brazil top in this list.  Nations like Zanizbar, Reunion Islands, Seychelles, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria Thailand are also in the galaxy of the spices producing countries.  The spices that are produced in different landmasses have different generic properties on thanks to varied geographical locations and soil conditions.  The varieties that are grown are also very different and they contribute to varying levels of production and productivity.  Ultimately the international consumer is looking for a safe and quality  product.  The bulk purchasers of these products like processors and producers of value added spices products are very keen on sourcing products meeting all specifications to ensure safety and quality.   Spices in general are bought not for the sake of making food spicy or for its aroma, the volatile oil in them matters a lot which make this category of commodity as a food ingredient.   Pepper is liked for its piperine, chillies for its capsaicin and colour, turmeric for its curcumin etc.  These identified factors are looked in to while purchase orders are executed internationally.  As has been acknowledged everywhere, geographical locations matter in determining the generic quality of the spices.  It is in this light that the Geographic Indicators are gaining importance.  Tellicherry pepper, Byadagi chillies, Sannam chillies,, Alleppey Green Cardamom are some of the examples.

India being a production source for many spices, remain as the world’s sought after destination for purchases.  The cultivation of many of the spices which originally centered around certain places are now getting scattered in the different climatic zones.  Some of the new areas were also found to be yielding good production of quality spices.
Chilli production used to be the domain of Andhra Pradesh only. But of late, chillies  of different characteristics are grown in other regions of India like in the North East where the highest pungent chillies like the Bhut Jolokia is grown.  It is the native of Assam region from the North East.   The information on the existence of this highly pungent variety has brought in a new set of purchasers who have the purpose of using the pungency for various applications.  Coming to turmeric, the world at large has a fancy for the Alleppey Finger Turmeric, which is rich in curcumin content.  The knowledge of the Lakadong Turmeric of the North East, which too has good curcumin content, brought in people who wanted to purchase this variety exclusively.
The Spices Board of India, the nodal organization of the Government of India under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is in the midst of giving thrust on export oriented activities  of many of the spices grown  in the country. The popular Indian spices like the Black pepper, Cardamom, Chillies, Turmeric, Ginger, Garlic, Cumin, Fennel, Fenugreek, Coriander, Mustard, Ajowan, nutmeg, mace, cloves, cinnamon, and scores of other spices are taken care of the Spices Board in its long terms planning and programmes.  The Board has the mandate to involve only in the research and development of small and large cardamom.  While the responsibility of research and development of other spices is the task of the agriculture departments in various states and the agriculture universities, the Board also does lot of interventions in making available quality spices through training and persuading the farmers through adoption of best agriculture practices.  The importance and thrust in value addition in spices had also brought in results.
Spices exports have registered substantial growth during the last one-decade, registering an annual average growth rate of 13.1 percent in value and nine percent in volume. During the year 2009-10, spices export from India has registered an all time high both in terms of quantity and value. In 2009-10 the export of spices from India has been 502,750 tonnes valued Rs.5560.50 crores (MLN US $ 1173.75 million) as against 470,520 tonnes valued Rs.5300.25 crores (MLN US $ 1168.40) in 2008-09, registering an increase of seven percent in volume and five percent in rupee value. India commands a formidable position in the World Spice Trade with 48 perpcent share in Volume and 44 percent in Value.

Board has formulated and implemented a three tier quality certification programme conforming to HACCP. Award of Spice House Certificate for good manufacturing practices, award of Logo for quality of the product and accreditation under ISO 9000 for international acceptance are the three certification systems adopted by the Board. Yet another area of activity centered upon by the Board is Value Addition. India can now boast as the monopoly supplier of spice oils and oleoresins the world over. In the case of curry powders, spice powders, spice mixtures and spices in consumer packs, India is in a formidable position. The consistent effort of the Board during the last one-decade has improved the share of the value added products in the export basket to more than 53 percent.
The Board has been supporting exporters of spices in India to go in for establishment of infrastructure facilities for ensuring quality process on a continued basis.  The Board has also been undertaking continuous training programmes to educate the farmers on the need to improve their skills for best production practices.  The series of field publicity programmes in the growing villages in different States have helped in instilling confidence in farmers to grow spices of the required standards for exports. These developments are in tune with the changing levels of market acceptance. Other areas focused upon by the Board are export promotion in identified markets, interaction with policy makers in the importing countries, development of new end uses, farm level training for farmers etc.
Indias's share in world trade of spices 2007-08 
  


Revolution in building up production capabilities

India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices in the world. India produces more than 65 spices in different varieties out of the 109 Spices listed by ISO. The estimated world trade in spices is 1.05 million tones valued at 2750 Mln US $, out of which India has a significant share of 48 percent in quantity and 43 percent in value.

In the quality front, the major consuming countries in Europe and USA are demanding more and more quality compliance by the producing countries. It is significant to note that India was able to cope up with the new stringent quality stipulations setup by these consuming countries and sustain and increase our export share in these markets with various quality improvement programmes initiated by the Board. But the recent trends among these countries in quality stipulations will definitely go further and only those suppliers who can meet the aspirations of the consumers could be able to survive in future. To meet this challenge the Spies Board decided to equip to produce and market the spices, which will have internationally accepted food safety standards.

Spice parks will function as a fulcrum for development of spice industries. The basic objective of the concept is to provide common infrastructure facilities for both post harvest and processing operations of spices, which also aims to backward integration by providing rural employment. All the Spices Park will have processing facilities at par with international standards in which the produces could undergo cleaning, grading, pulverizing, sterilization, packing, quality testing, storing etc. Apart from this the common infrastructure facilities like Roads, Power stations, Fire fighting & Control systems, Water Supply, Bank/Post office counters, Weighing bridges, effluent Treatment Plants, Guest house etc will be developed by Spices Board. Spice Park will also render educative services to the trading community. Spices Board will also lease out the land available at the Park for the registered exporters of Spices for developing their own processing plant for Spices with in the Park. Board proposes to set up parks at 8 locations across the major producing/assembling centres of spices during the XI plan period. The location of the parks and Spices covered are as follows

Location


State

Spices Covered
Chhindwara
Madhya Pradesh
Garlic & Chilly
Puttady
Kerala
Pepper & Cardamom
Guntur
Andhra Pradesh
Chilli
Sivaganga
Tamil Nadu
Turmeric, Chilli & Coriander

Guna
Madhya Pradesh
Coriander, Fenugreek & Garlic
Mehsana
Gujarat
Cumin, Fennel & Coriander
Jodhpur
Rajasthan
Coriander & Fenugreek
Kota
Rajasthan
Coriander


Spices Parks

1. Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.

This is the first park established by Spices Board at Lass Village of Umranala, Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh and inaugurated on 17th February, 2009.  The Park is mainly meant the Spices like Chilli and Garlic. Board has developed all basic infrastructure, and primary processing facilities for Spices. The higher end processing plants installed include Dehydration Plant for Garlic with capacity 6T per day, Extraction Plant for Chilli with capacity 3T per day, ETP system etc. This park is established under the ASIDE scheme of Government of India. The project cost is 18 crores. Spices Board owns all the facilities within the Park. M/s STCL a associate of State Trading Corporation, has developed a steam sterilization unit and a powdering unit within the Spice Park, which can utilized on a user fee basis.

2. Puttady, Kerala.

The Spice park at Puttady is meant for the spices Cardamom(Small) and Pepper. The processing facilities like cleaning, grading, sorting and packing of Black pepper, White pepper production, Warehousing system etc are also developed in the Park. The facilities include processing plant for Cardamom with cleaning, grading, sorting based on size and color and packing. The capacity of the plant is 2 Tons per Hr. The pepper processing plant has the capacity of 24 Tons per day for pre-cleaning & grading and 500 Kg/hr for cracking, grinding. The construction of the White pepper production plant having capacity of 1 Ton per day is in progress. A sterilization unit having capacity 250 Kg per hr is being installed. In addition to this there are 4 Gowdons with total area 2750 Sq Meter are established for the Raw materials and for the finished good. A Puf Gowdown with area of 600 Square meters were also established.

The Board has set up a full-fledged e-auction centre with a higher end server and 60 client terminals. The facilities for functioning the offices of the Auctioneers and Traders are also available in the E-Auction center.

3. Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

This park is aimed at setting up of infrastructure and processing facilities for Chilly, the major crop of Andhra Pradesh. Govt. of Andhra Pradesh has allotted an area of 124.78 Acres of land in Mydavolu & Vankayalapadu village in Guntur district. M/s. IL& FS had conducted the techno feasibility study for setting up of the park at Guntur. M/s. FEATS Technical Services, Pvt Ltd, Cochin has been appointed as the Board’s consultants for offering professional consultancy services which include Master planning, Design and Detailed Engineering, Award of work to eligible contractors, project management and construction supervision at the site.

Presently, we have completed the civil works related to infrastructure facilities like internal roads, compound wall, drain etc The civil works related to the construction of buildings have already started. In addition to the basic infrastructure and common facilities, Board will establish processing line for Chilli and Steam sterilization system.

Out of the total land available, 50 acres were leased out to exporters for setting up of their processing facilities.

The total estimated project cost of the park is  Rs.20 crores and the park will be operational by March, 2011

4. Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu.

The spices park at Sivaganga is aimed at setting up of infrastructure and processing facilities for Turmeric, Coriander & Chilly.  The Govt of Tamil Nadu has allotted a land of 29.43 Ha of land in Kottagudi village of Sivaganga Taluk at a total cost of Rs.48,85,440/-

IIM Bengaluru had conducted the techno feasibility study for setting up of the park at Sivaganga and submitted the report. Board has assigned M/s KITCO as the project consultant. The civil construction of basic infrastructure, administrative building, building for plant and machinery are almost over.

Works related to the installation of processing lines for Chilly with cleaning, grading, grinding etc. The capacity of the plant is 5 tons per day. The steam sterilization unit with capacity 500 Kg per hr will be established. The estimated cost of the project is Rs.15 crores.

Board has invited EOI from the exporters of Spices for leasing out of land at Sivaganga. The park will be operational by March, 2011.

5. Jodhpur, Rajasthan

The spices park at Jodhpur, Rajastan is aimed at setting up of infrastructure and processing facilities for seed spices like Coriander & Fenugreek.  The Govt of Rajasthan has allotted land to the extend of 38 ha in the Rampura Bhatia Village of Ozian Tehsil free of cost.

Board has appointed M/s KITCO as project consultant. The civil construction of basic infrastructure, administrative building, building for plant and machinery are almost over.  The installation of the processing plant for Seed Spices with capacity 2Tons per Hr  will be installed in the Park. The installation of Steam sterilation with capacity 250 Kg per Hr will be installed. Board has invited EOI for leasing out of land available in the Park to the registered exporters of Spices for developing their on processing Plant. The estimated project cost of the park is  Rs.18 crores

6. Mehsana, Gujarat

The spices park at Mehsana is aimed at setting up of infrastructure and processing facilities for seed spices like Cumin, Fennel & Coriander. Government of Gujarat has allotted land of area 166.435 Acres @ Rs. 50/m2 in Visnagar Taluk. Board has assigned M/s KITCO as the project consultant. The survey work for taking possession of land is in progress. Board is planning to establish Spices Park with processing line for Seed Spices and steam sterilization facilities. The total estimated project cost of the Spice park wil come around Rs. 30 Crore.

7. Guna, Madhya Pradesh

Government has entrusted M/s ICICI-Winfra, Kolkata for the techno feasibility study for establishing a Spice Park at Guna in Madhya Pradesh. Based on the report submitted by ICICI Winfra, Government has given an in principal approval for setting up of the Park at Guna in two phases under ASIDE Scheme. As per the revised DPR, the total estimated cost in phase I is Rs.28.51 Crore and that in Phase-II is Rs.16.68 Crore. The total project cost will come Rs.45.19 Crore.
          
As per the DPR, the Spice park at Guna, has 2 Minimal Processing Centre (MPC) at Jhalarpatan, Shivapuri and 1 Central Processing Center (CPC) at Guna. Also the CPC will have a quality evaluation lab and six warehouses. In this park, it is visualized to have all the facilities in one complex, i.e., processing, quality evaluation, ware housing etc in addition to other common infrastructure facilities like internal roads, security cabin, bank, post office, water supply, drying yard, sterilization units, and effluent treatment plants.

We have requested the District Collector, Guna for alienating around 100 acres of land at Mavan Village at Guna, for setting up of the same and the matter is under consideration. Board has established an Office at Guna for co-coordinating
 the work related the establish of Spice Park at Guna
                 
8. Kota, Rajasthan
The spices park at Kota is aimed at setting up of infrastructure and processing facilities for the seed spice -Coriander. The Govt of Rajasthan has allotted 12.14 ha of land in Nimana village of Ramganjmandi, Kota District for setting up of Spices Park to Spices Board on a free hold basis.

Board has entrusted M/s KITCO, Ltd, Kochi as the consultant and the estimated cost is around Rs.15 crores. Government of India has given approval for establishing the Spice Park at Kota under ASIDE Scheme.

National networking of Quality Labs

To facilitate ongoing quality monitoring of spices exported from India, besides facilitating checking of quality of samples of farmers, traders and exporters for various parameters,  the Board had taken up yet another ambitious plan for establishment of laboratories at the major exporting and shipping centers.  A major lab with all the state of the art machines and gadgets  was set up in Cochin way back in 1988.  New regional labs have been set up in Guntur in Andhra Pradesh and in Mumbai in Maharashtra.

Further new labs with multicrore investments are coming up in Chennai, Delhi and Tuticorin.

These labs will hasten the process of inspection of samples and will be a guiding centre for improving and sustaining the quality requirements for exports.